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RAIN, WET ROCK and RAPTOR CLOSURES: The sandstone around Moab is fragile and is very easily damaged when it is wet. Also please ask and be aware of Raptor Closures in areas such as CAT WALL and RESERVOIR WALL in Indian Creek
Details

WET ROCK: Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN MOAB during or after rain.

RAPTOR CLOSURES: Please be aware of seasonal raptor closures at the Cat wall and Reservoir wall. They occur annually from March 31st until August 31st. *Due to the federal hiring freeze in agencies such as the BLM of Monticello, no official closure for 2017 has been issued and the laws which have been put in place in previous years are not being enforced. Please, for the sake of fragile desert ecology, DO NOT CLIMB at stated walls. These raptors return to the same nesting sites every year to raise their nestlings.

Description

Two stars, but (because?) varied and highly worthwhile. Is variously rated 5.10+ or 5.11-; I concurred with the latter but it may be that the grade feels magnified by the necessity of placing much gear, as the crux presents a fall onto a block if not sewn up.

Walk past Battle of the Bulge, Black Corner, Quarter of a Man, Jane Fonda's Total Body Workout, etc. until you reach a massive RF corner, which is easily identified by the long, horrifying wide crack Big Baby, staring at you from the left wall. Our Piece of Real Estate starts in a corner itself. Scramble (low 5th class) up an easy corner, and clamber onto the block where the hard climbing starts. An interesting sequence uses the splitter rattly fingers crack on the left wall combined with super-thin fingers in the actual corner. Continue with somewhat pumpy thin hands in a flare, to a great rest, then stem out to a nice wide hands crack on the right wall which leads to the anchors.

Note: you can use a 60-M rope, but the person being lowered MUST stop atop the initial low-5th class section and downclimb. I was waited to do the climb while a person from the party ahead of us was dropped nearly into my lap (from about 10 feet up) because the rope went through his belayer's atc!

Protection

Bring one 1.5 friend, two-three #2 friends, several 2.5 friends, and several 3.5 friends for the final hand/fist crack. A couple tcus may be useful for the transition to the final crack.

The route's overall grade, and it's seminal climbing might be only 10+, but the weird thin moves at the bottom have spit off more than one strong climber. I left an extra rope behind me and had 2 people follow- both had trouble there. WHile this may not be what you remember about the route (which I feel is a GREAT route!), it earns it the 11a in my book.

I rap' d the route on a 60m and got to the ground just barely. The crux, getting off the block, might be hard but the climb is easy after that if you use the corner. I used it at the start and just kept using it scoring no hands rests throughout the flaired section. Just before the wide hands section, (black rock empires work well) there is a huge foot hold to the left. A good 10+ if your out of shape or have been climbing to many days in a row. A. Everhart
Jun 1, 2003

The thin start can be lied back for those not wishing to subject their knuckles to the ring locks. Sure, placing gear is a bit strenuous, but once again the "technique of no technique" finds an application.
Feb 20, 2007

I laid the beginning back, and I definately felt way more gripped trying to flash this thing than I did on Crack Attack that same day. I missed the key finger lock out right and almost popped off getting into the flare with my pro beneath my feet.. a certain ledge fall at that point... But I didn't pop. 11- seems fair to me.
Nov 26, 2007